Turtledove
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Teerts
Fictional Character
Worldwar
POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s): In the Balance
through
Striking the Balance
Type of Appearance: Direct POV
Species: The Race
Nationality: Home
Date of Death: 1944
Cause of Death: Killercraft crash
Religion: Emperor-worship
Occupation: Pilot
Military Branch: The Race's Conquest Fleet (Race Invasion of Tosev 3)

Teerts (d. 1944) was a killercraft flight leader during the Race Invasion of Tosev 3. He was among the first of the Race to get close to Tosev 3. After he and his flight group (consisting only of him and two others, Rolvar and Gefron, due to the relatively low number of killercraft) literally destroyed every single opposing aircraft in the skies, Teerts was given the rank of Flight Leader.

When flying a mission against Tosevites in Japanese-occupied China, Teerts' killercraft was disabled by stray bullets and after successfully bailing out, he was captured by the Japanese, transported to the Home Islands, and forced to help Japanese physicists (including Dr. Yoshio Nishina) with their project to build an explosive-metal bomb. He attempted to confuse them by omitting details of isotopic composition but this was in vain when he realized with horror just how advanced Tosevite scientific knowledge really was. While in captivity, the Japanese addicted Teerts to ginger, making him more pliant and forthcoming. Major Okamoto was Teerts' most brutal jailer.

Teerts was eventually rescued, and the Race then destroyed the whole Tokyo area with a thermonuclear device to prevent any further Japanese nuclear research. Teerts then saw service in France, flying combat missions against Germany, and then transferred to the United States. He saw and narrowly evaded the American explosive-metal bomb explosion in Miami. Teerts later served in Colorado during an assault on Denver. When another American bomb was exploded outside Denver to halt the final Race's offensive, Teerts lost control of his killercraft and plowed into a mountain before he could bail out.

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